Syria

Broadcast media

state-run TV and radio broadcast networks; state operates 2 TV networks and a satellite channel; roughly two-thirds of Syrian homes have a satellite dish providing access to foreign TV broadcasts; 3 state-run radio channels; first private radio station launched in 2005; private radio broadcasters prohibited from transmitting news or political content (2007)

Internet country code

.sy

Internet users

total: 5,476,850 | percent of population: 31.9% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Telephone system

general assessment: the armed insurgency that began in 2011 has led to major disruptions to the network and has caused telephone and Internet outages throughout the country | domestic: the number of fixed-line connections increased markedly prior to the civil war in 2011; mobile-cellular service stands at about 70 per 100 persons | international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Egypt, Lebanon, and Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel (2016)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 3,464,846 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 12,350,927 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Budget

revenues: $496.6 million | expenditures: $2.889 billion | note: government projections for FY2016 (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-9.7% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 197

Central bank discount rate

0.75% (31 December 2016) | 5% (31 December 2015) | country comparison to the world: 130

Commercial bank prime lending rate

32% (31 December 2016 est.) | 27% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Current account balance

$-2.077 billion (2016 est.) | $-2.955 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Debt - external

$5.085 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $4.42 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133

Economy - overview

Syria's economy continues to deteriorate amid the ongoing conflict that began in 2011, declining by more than 70% from 2010 to 2016. The government has struggled to address the effects of international sanctions, widespread infrastructure damage, diminished domestic consumption and production, reduced subsidies, and high inflation, which have caused dwindling foreign exchange reserves, rising budget and trade deficits, a decreasing value of the Syrian pound, and falling household purchasing power. | During 2014, the ongoing conflict and continued unrest and economic decline worsened the humanitarian crisis and elicited a greater need for international assistance, as the number of people in need inside Syria increased from 9.3 million to 12.2 million, and the number of Syrian refugees increased from 2.2 million to more than 3.3 million. | Prior to the turmoil, Damascus had begun liberalizing economic policies, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange, but the economy remains highly regulated. Long-run economic constraints include foreign trade barriers, declining oil production, high unemployment, rising budget deficits, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, water pollution, and widespread infrastructure damage.

Exchange rates

Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - | 459.2 (2016 est.) | 459.2 (2015 est.) | 236.41 (2014 est.) | 153.695 (2013 est.) | 64.39 (2012 est.)

Exports

$1.705 billion (2016 est.) | $1.587 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Exports - commodities

crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat

Exports - partners

Lebanon 34.6%, Jordan 11.6%, China 9.4%, Turkey 8.2%, Iraq 7.7%, Tunisia 4.9% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$24.6 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$NA (2015 est.) | $55.8 billion (2014 est.) | $61.9 billion (2013 est.) | notes: data are in 2015 US dollars | the war-driven deterioration of the economy resulted in a disappearance of quality national level statistics in the 2012-13 period | country comparison to the world: 110

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 65.6% | government consumption: 23.5% | investment in fixed capital: 17.6% | investment in inventories: 11.4% | exports of goods and services: 10.8% | imports of goods and services: -29% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 19.5% | industry: 19% | services: 61.5% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,900 (2015 est.) | $3,300 (2014 est.) | $2,800 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 194

GDP - real growth rate

NA% (2016 est.) | -9.9% (2014 est.) | -36.5% (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 dollars | country comparison to the world: 219

Gross national saving

19.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | 20.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | 18.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$5.496 billion (2016 est.) | $6.076 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners

Russia 22%, Turkey 20%, China 11.3% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

-2.4% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Industries

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, automobile assembly

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

43.9% (2016 est.) | 38.1% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 224

Labor force

3.871 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 96

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 17% | industry: 16% | services: 67% (2008 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

82.5% (2014 est.)

Public debt

55.7% of GDP (2016 est.) | 48.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$504.6 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $772.9 million (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Stock of broad money

$5.522 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $6.98 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Stock of domestic credit

$5.993 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $7.225 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Stock of narrow money

$4.488 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $5.254 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Taxes and other revenues

2% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 220

Unemployment rate

50% (2016 est.) | 50% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 214

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

49 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 195

Crude oil - imports

83,140 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Crude oil - production

28,670 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Crude oil - proved reserves

2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 33

Electricity - consumption

13.96 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Electricity - exports

262 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Electricity - from fossil fuels

84.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

15.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Electricity - installed generating capacity

9.61 million kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Electricity - production

16.83 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Electricity access

population without electricity: 1,600,000 | electrification - total population: 96% | electrification - urban areas: 100% | electrification - rural areas: 81% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

4.9 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Natural gas - imports

249.2 million cu m (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Natural gas - production

4.3 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Natural gas - proved reserves

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 42

Refined petroleum products - consumption

140,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Refined petroleum products - exports

12,500 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Refined petroleum products - imports

41,120 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Refined petroleum products - production

111,600 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Area

total: 185,180 sq km | land: 183,630 sq km | water: 1,550 sq km | note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory | country comparison to the world: 90

Area - comparative

slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania

Climate

mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus

Coastline

193 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 514 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -208 m | highest point: Mount Hermon (Jabal a-Shayk) 2,814 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geographic coordinates

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Geography - note

the capital of Damascus - located at an oasis fed by the Barada River - is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2017)

Irrigated land

14,280 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 2,363 km | border countries (5): Iraq 599 km, Israel 83 km, Jordan 379 km, Lebanon 403 km, Turkey 899 km

Land use

agricultural land: 75.8% | arable land 25.4%; permanent crops 5.8%; permanent pasture 44.6% | forest: 2.7% | other: 21.5% (2011 est.)

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms | volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries

Natural resources

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Population - distribution

significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley | note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Terrain

primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west

Administrative divisions

14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus), Halab, Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus

Capital

name: Damascus | geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins midnight on the last Friday in March; ends at midnight on the last Friday in October

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Syria; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen of Syria | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

history: several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012 | amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by one-third of the People’s Assembly members; following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic | conventional short form: Syria | local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah | local short form: Suriyah | former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) | etymology: name ultimately derived from the ancient Assyrians who dominated northern Mesopotamia, but whose reach also extended westward to the Levant; over time, the name came to be associated more with the western area

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); US Special Envoy for Syria Michael RATNEY (since 27 July 2015); note - on 6 February 2012, the US closed its embassy in Damascus; Czechia serves as protecting power for US interests in Syria | embassy: Abou Roumaneh, 2 Al Mansour Street, Damascus | mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus | telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444 | FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999

Diplomatic representation in the US

note: Embassy ceased operations and closed on 18 March 2014 | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mounir KOUDMANI (since 1 June 2012) | chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 | FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

Executive branch

chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) | head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS (since 22 June 2016); Deputy Prime Ministers Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ, Lt. Gen.(since 23 June 2012) and Walid al-MUALEM (since 23 June 2012) | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 June 2014 (next to be held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers | election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2%, other/invalid 3.8%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980 | note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

Government type

presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime

Independence

17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military divisions, each with 3 judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members) | judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC, a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice with 7 members including the national president; judge tenure NA; Supreme Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC; judges appointed for 4-year renewable terms | subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012)

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law (for family courts)

Legislative branch

description: unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 13 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020) | election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80%, other 20%; seats by party - NPF 200, other 50

National anthem

name: "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland) | lyrics/music: Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL | note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the country had a different anthem

National holiday

Independence Day (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946); note - celebrates the leaving of the last French troops and the proclamation of full independence

National symbol(s)

hawk; national colors: red, white, black, green

Political parties and leaders

legal parties/alliances: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party [Bashar al-ASAD, regional secretary] | Arab Socialist Union of Syria or ASU [Safwan al-QUDSI] | National Progressive Front or NPF [Bashar al-ASAD, Suleiman QADDAH] (alliance includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD], Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr al-DIN]) | Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL] | Syrian Social Nationalist Party or SSNP [Ali HAIDAR] | Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL] | Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Azadi Party | Kurdish Democratic Accord Party (al Wifaq) [Fowzi SHINKALI] | Kurdish Democratic Left Party [Saleh KIDDO] | Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Ibrahim wing) [Nasr al-Din IBRAHIM] | Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Mustafa wing) | Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria or KDP-S [Saud AL-MALA] | Kurdish Democratic Patriotic/National Party | Kurdish Democratic Peace Party [Talal MOHAMMED] | Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Darwish | Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Muhammad | Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD [Salih Muslim MOHAMMAD] | Kurdish Democratic Unity Party [Kamiron Haj ABDU] | Kurdish Democratic Yekiti Party [Mahi al-Din Sheikh ALI] | Kurdish Equality Party [Namet DAOUD] | Kurdish Future Party [Rezan HASSAN] | Kurdish Green Party [ Laqman AHMI] | Kurdish Left Party [Shallal KIDDO] | Kurdish National Democratic Rally in Syria | Kurdish Reform Movement in Syria [Amjad OTHMAN] | Kurdish Reform Movement Party [ Feisal AL-YUSSEF] | Kurdish Yekiti (Union) Party | Kurdistan Communist Party [ Nejm al-Sin MALA’AMIR] | Kurdistan Democratic Party in Syria [Abdul Karim SAKKO] | Kurdistan Liberal Union [Farhad TILO] | Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party | Tiyar al-Mustaqbal [Narin MATINI] | other: Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Free Syrian Army | Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Mohamed Hekmat WALID] (operates in exile in London) | Syrian Opposition Coalition or National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces [Riad SEIF] | note: there are also hundreds of local and provincial political and armed opposition groups that organize protests, provide civilian services, and stage armed attacks

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional, albeit unsuccessful, peace talks over its return. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In May 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was approved by popular referendum. | Influenced by major uprisings that began elsewhere in the region, and compounded by additional social and economic factors, antigovernment protests broke out first in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 with protesters calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials. Demonstrations and violent unrest spread across Syria with the size and intensity of protests fluctuating. The government responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the Emergency Law, new laws permitting new political parties, and liberalizing local and national elections - and with military force and detentions. The government's ongoing violence to quell unrest and widespread armed opposition activity has led to extended clashes between government forces, their allies, and oppositionists. International pressure on the ASAD regime has intensified since late 2011, as the Arab League, the EU, Turkey, and the US expanded economic sanctions against the regime and those entities that support it. In December 2012, the Syrian National Coalition, was recognized by more than 130 countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Political negotiations between the government and opposition delegations at the UN-sponsored Geneva II conference in 2014 and the UN-sponsored Geneva III talks in 2016 failed to produce a resolution of the conflict. Unrest continues in Syria, and according to an April 2016 UN estimate, the death toll among Syrian Government forces, opposition forces, and civilians was over 400,000. As of December 2016, approximately 13.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, with 6.3 million people displaced internally, and an additional 4.8 million Syrian refugees, making the Syrian situation the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide.

Military branches

Syrian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (includes Air Defense Forces), Intelligence Services (Air Force Intelligence, Military Intelligence) | Ministry of Interior: Political Security Directorate, General Intelligence Directorate, National Police Force (2017)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2017)

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.62% (male 2,923,814/female 2,777,073) | 15-24 years: 19.54% (male 1,790,360/female 1,732,694) | 25-54 years: 39.22% (male 3,522,653/female 3,547,540) | 55-64 years: 5.41% (male 482,576/female 493,085) | 65 years and over: 4.21% (male 342,407/female 416,347) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

21.2 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

10.1% (2009) | country comparison to the world: 70

Contraceptive prevalence rate

53.9% (2009/10)

Death rate

4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 72.8 | youth dependency ratio: 65.8 | elderly dependency ratio: 7 | potential support ratio: 14.3 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 92.3% of population | rural: 87.2% of population | total: 90.1% of population | urban: 7.7% of population | rural: 12.8% of population | total: 9.9% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

5.1% of GDP (2009) | country comparison to the world: 70

Ethnic groups

Arab 90.3%, Kurdish, Armenian, and other 9.7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

3.3% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 180

Hospital bed density

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 14.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 17 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.1 years | male: 72.7 years | female: 77.6 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 86.4% | male: 91.7% | female: 81% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

Aleppo 3.562 million; DAMASCUS (capital) 2.566 million; Hims (Homs) 1.641 million; Hamah 1.237 million; Lattakia 781,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

68 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Median age

total: 24.3 years | male: 23.9 years | female: 24.8 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Nationality

noun: Syrian(s) | adjective: Syrian

Net migration rate

NA (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

27.8% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 35

Physicians density

1.55 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Population

18,028,549 (July 2017 est.) | note: approximately 20,500 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2014) | country comparison to the world: 63

Population distribution

significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley | note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Population growth rate

7.87% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Religions

Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 96.2% of population | rural: 95.1% of population | total: 95.7% of population | urban: 3.8% of population | rural: 4.9% of population | total: 4.3% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years | male: 9 years | female: 9 years (2013)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female | total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.5 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 35.8% | male: 26.6% | female: 71.1% (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Urbanization

urban population: 58.5% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 3.59% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation would settle border dispute with Jordan

Illicit drugs

a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 438,000 (Palestinian Refugees) (2017); 16,879 (Iraq) | note: the ongoing civil war has more than 5.3 million Syrian refugees - dispersed in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey - as of November 2017 | IDPs: 6.3 million (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2017) | stateless persons: 160,000 (2016); note - Syria's stateless population consists of Kurds and Palestinians; stateless persons are prevented from voting, owning land, holding certain jobs, receiving food subsidies or public healthcare, enrolling in public schools, or being legally married to Syrian citizens; in 1962, some 120,000 Syrian Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, rendering them and their descendants stateless; in 2011, the Syrian Government granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian Kurds as a means of appeasement; however, resolving the question of statelessness is not a priority given Syria's ongoing civil war

Trafficking in persons

current situation: as conditions continue to deteriorate due to Syria’s civil war, human trafficking has increased; Syrians remaining in the country and those that are refugees abroad are vulnerable to trafficking; Syria is a source and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Syrian children continue to be forcibly recruited by government forces, pro-regime militias, armed opposition groups, and terrorist organizations to serve as soldiers, human shields, and executioners; ISIL forces Syrian women and girls and Yazidi women and girls taken from Iraq to marry its fighters, where they experience domestic servitude and sexual violence; Syrian refugee women and girls are forced into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while displaced children are forced into street begging domestically and abroad | tier rating: Tier 3 - the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, Syria’s violent conditions enabled human trafficking to flourish; the government made no effort to investigate, prosecute, or convict trafficking offenders or complicit government officials, including those who forcibly recruited child soldiers; authorities did not identify victims and failed to ensure victims, including child soldiers, were protected from arrest, detention, and severe abuse as a result of being trafficked (2015)

Airports

90 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 62

Airports - with paved runways

total: 29 | over 3,047 m: 5 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 | 914 to 1,523 m: 3 | under 914 m: 5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 61 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 12 | under 914 m: 48 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YK (2016)

Heliports

6 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 19 | by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 14, carrier 1 | registered in other countries: 166 (Barbados 1, Belize 4, Bolivia 4, Cambodia 22, Comoros 5, Dominica 4, Georgia 24, Lebanon 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Moldova 5, North Korea 4, Panama 34, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, Sierra Leone 13, Tanzania 23, Togo 6, unknown 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 95

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 475,932 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,517,388 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

gas 3,170 km; oil 2,029 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Baniyas, Latakia, Tartus

Railways

total: 2,052 km | standard gauge: 1,801 km 1.435-m gauge | narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 73

Roadways

total: 69,873 km | paved: 63,060 km | unpaved: 6,813 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 68

Waterways

900 km (navigable but not economically significant) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 68